Sacred Kingfisher
Sacred KingfisherSacred KingfisherSacred KingfisherSacred Kingfisher

Sacred Kingfisher

Todiramphus sanctus

Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Blue Mountains National Park
800 Verified sightings at Blue Mountains National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,768 Verified sightings across all 29 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Sacred Kingfisher

The sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus) is a medium-sized woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests and river valleys in Australia, New Zealand and other parts of the western Pacific. The binomial name Halcyon sanctus was introduced by Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827 who described a sacred kingfisher zoological specimen from New Holland, Australia. Vigors and Horsfield compare it with Alcedo sacra described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788. Gmelin in turn based his description on John Latham's "Sacred King's Fisher" published in 1782. Latham described several varieties, one of which was illustrated in Arthur Phillip's The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay published in 1789. The genus Halcyon was split and the sacred kingfisher was placed in the genus Todiramphus that had been erected by the French surgeon and naturalist René Lesson in 1827. The generic name is derived from the genus Todus (Brisson, 1760), 'tody' (a West Indian insectivorous bird) and Ancient Greek rhamphos (ῥάμφος), 'bill'. The specific epithet is the Latin sanctus 'sacred'.

Five subspecies are recognised: T. s. sanctus (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Blue Mountains National Park

Red-backed Kingfisher
LC Endemic

Red-backed Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Todiramphus pyrrhopygius

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Laughing Kookaburra
LC Endemic

Laughing Kookaburra

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dacelo novaeguineae

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Azure Kingfisher
LC

Azure Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ceyx azureus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dollarbird
LC

Dollarbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Eurystomus orientalis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rainbow Bee-eater
LC

Rainbow Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops ornatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
2 Egmont National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~30%
3 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
4 Abel Tasman National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~30%
5 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
6 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
7 Tongariro National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~20%
8 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
9 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
10 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
11 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
12 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
13 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
14 Rakiura National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~10%
15 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
16 Flinders Ranges National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
17 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~10%
18 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
19 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
20 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
21 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
22 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
23 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
24 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
25 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
26 Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
27 Arthur's Pass National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
<5%
28 Aoraki Mount Cook National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
Insufficient data
29 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Sacred Kingfisher in Blue Mountains National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sacred Kingfisher sighting in Blue Mountains National Park, based on 800 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Sacred Kingfisher in Blue Mountains National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Sacred Kingfisher in Blue Mountains National Park in our monthly data.

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